Tender Sugar
by VexVulpes
Summary: When Sizz Lorr stops supplying the Tallest with snacks, an unlikely solution comes in the form of Irk's worst  and shortest  defect in history... PRaZR, no like then no read
1. Chapter 1

Ok, so... I got into PRaZR (Purple, Red, and Zim Romance). This is your chance to turn back now. If you don't like, then don't read.

That being said... Enjoy.

**Summary:** When Sizz Lorr stops supplying the Tallest with snacks, an unlikely solution comes in the form of Irk's worst (and shortest) defect in history...

**Chapter One**

There is no denying that Irkens are a race obsessed with food. From the smallest Smeet to the tallest Tallest, the only things on an Irken's mind 24/7 (or whatever time schedule they lived by) were foods like doughnuts, nachos, and cupcakes. In fact, there was even a whole planet devoted to providing the entire race with their daily meals and snacks, a place called Foodcourtia.

Foodcourtia itself was massive, housing millions of eateries and billions of aliens, Irken and otherwise. The planet had become so popular, in fact, that every handful of years, the combined weight of all its inhabitants created a gravitational field so large that anyone on Foodcourtia couldn't leave for 20 whole years.

The most popular place on Foodcourtia was Schloogors, owned by the mighty Irken fry cook Sizz Lorr. This place was not only famous for having the best food in the universe, but also was proud to say it supplied the almighty Irken Tallest with all their prized snacks. After every Great Foodening, the Tallest would contact Schloogors and demand to have their snacks restocked. It had been like this for years.

"What do you mean you're not selling!"

Tallest Red glared at the large, overweight Irken on the communication screen, one on his antennae twitching in irritation. The Irken on the screen returned the glare full force, his own antennae flat against his head in barely concealed rage.

"Selling! SELLING! I SAID I'm not giving you two anything anymore unless you start paying! This business isn't cheap and ever since the moron left me to deal with TRILLIANS of customers with a low work force, I've been LOSING monies!"

"We don't care!" Purple piped up, shoving his face full of doughnuts. It was the last bag on their ship. Hell, it was their last bag of SNACKS on their ship.

"Listen up, Sizz Lorr!" Red growled, shaking a fist at the screen. "We are the great and mighty Almighty Tallest! We don't HAVE to pay you ANYTHING. Your job as a fellow Irken is to obey our every command!"

"And we say more doughnuts!"

Sizz Lorr hissed, baring his characteristic zipper-like teeth. "No monies, not doughnuts."

The transmission was then cut. Silence fell, long and tense, all eyes glued to the blank screen.

"WE'RE GONNA DIE!" Purple screamed, clutching the last bag of snacks on the entire ship to his chest. "WE'RE ALL GONNA DIE!"

"Get a grip on yourself, Pur!" Red roared, shaking his fellow Tallest roughly. A few precious doughnuts fell out of the bag and he cried out in horror, catching them before they hit the ground.

"What are we gonna DO, Red! WHAT ARE WE GONNA DO!"

"You!" Red pointed at a random worker. "How much do we owe Sizz Lorr?" Red figured, for the sake of their snack addiction, paying Sizz Lorr was the lesser of evils.

"Um, roughly 395,684,930,493,295,674,106 monies, sir."

Red's jaw dropped, his tongue hanging out of his mouth in complete shock. "That's... A LOT of monies..."

"WE'RE GONNA DIE!" Purple yelled again, clutching his bag of doughnuts tighter to his chest. "There's no way we can pay him back! That's more than every Irken on Irk gets paid COMBINED!"

Red swallowed, pointing at the worker again. "Give us other options for snacks!"

"Um… The Grub Demon?"

"I don't like that place," Purple complained, briefly slipping back to his old self. "They don't serve doughnuts."

"Anyplace that doesn't serve doughnuts is out of the question. More options!"

"But sir! I'm a pilot drone! I don't know of any other eateries-"

"Throw him out the air lock!" Purple yelled, glaring at the worker. Two guards flew in and grabbed the poor Irken, who screamed as he was taken away.

Red sighed, casting his partner a stern look. "I like throwing workers out of air locks as much as the next guy, but was that really necessary right now?"

"I don't care! We're gonna die! We're down to our last bag of snacks! We're gonna run out of snacks and starve!"

"Purple, calm down! We're not going to starve! We are the Almighty Tallest! Irk's most elite members! We rule the planet and soon the universe!"

"But we have no snacks!"

"I know that!" Red snapped, his mind racing. They needed a plan, a new way of receiving snacks for free. Sizz Lorr wanted to be paid now, and his price was too steep. Every other place on Foodcourtia either made horrible food or didn't serve doughnuts. And of course, they'd want monies too.

"Incoming transmission from Earth, sirs," a worker sighed, obviously annoyed. Red moaned, sharing the worker's feelings. Only one Irken was located on Earth and Red really didn't want to deal with him right now.

Glancing at Purple though, who was staring into the half empty bag of doughnuts and about ready to sob, Red figured the distraction was better than dwelling on their current problem. "Put him on. He'll probably try hacking into our line anyway."

The main screen fizzled and soon Irk's shortest, and most defective, ex-invader came into view. "Invader Zim reporting in, my Tallest!"

Red opened his mouth to ask Zim what he wanted this time when he froze. There was a device behind Zim. A device that looked suspiciously like a teleporter. And on that teleporter was a plate of…

"Are those… doughnuts?" Purple asked, an antennae perking up eagerly.

Zim glanced behind his shoulder before turning back to the Tallest and nodding. "Why yes. Yes they are. Zim's latest plan is simply INGENIOUS and you must come see it! Zim is even giving you a snack offering as an invitation! I made them myself!"

The small Irken smiled proudly, not noticing how Red and Purple looked at one another. Red held up a finger to silence Purple, who was about to ask what the other knew he was going to ask; Red was indeed coming up with a plan.

"You made these yourself?"

"Yup! I made them just for you! Neato huh?"

"Yeah… Neato, Zim. May we… try them first?"

"But of course, my Tallest!" Zim typed something on his computer. Seconds later, the plate of doughnuts vanished, only to appear at Red's feet. The red leader glanced nervously at his partner, a silent plea that if something bad should happen to him because of these doughnuts made by the worst Irken in history, Purple was to avenge him. Only when Purple nodded in agreement did Red grab a doughnut and take a bite.

Red's eyes grew wide in disbelief. "Zim, this is… Amazing."

"Of COURSE it's amazing! I am ZIM!"

The rest of the doughnut vanished in seconds. Purple had already helped himself, chewing blissfully as his antennae relaxed to lazily lie against his head. "I didn't know you cooked Zim!"

"Yeah, well, when you sent me on that unnecessary vacation after Operation Impending Doom 1, Sizz Lorr taught Zim to cook. Plus, I needed to learn to cook for myself since the advanced SIR you gave me obviously has a corrupt housekeeping chip."

Red picked up another doughnut, inspecting it as he spoke. "Do you cook other things?"

"Oh sure! Zim makes sandwiches, muffins, cupcakes, waffles-"

"What are waffles?" Purple asked, mouth full of doughnuts. The plate Zim had sent was empty now, not even a crumb to show there were once doughnuts on it.

"Oh, they're amazing! Sure, they're an Earthnoid food, but they're positively delicious! As is what the humans call 'Chinese food'." Zim licked his lips, purring from the memory of this dish that the two leaders had never heard of. Purple looked at Red, his cheeks bulging as he chewed. His partner nodded.

"So Zim, about your plan-"

"You'll come to see it!" Zim yelled, antennae rising to maximum height in excitement. Red forced himself to grin.

"Actually, why don't you come to us and explain it first? Perhaps we could help you make it better."

The smaller Irken took the bait immediately. "Yes! Oh yes, my Tallest! I will be there right away!"

"You! Send Zim our coordinates!" Red yelled, pointing at a random worker. The worker paled in terror.

"Send ZIM our COORDINATES!"

"Yes! Right now!"

"Oh thank you, my Tallest! You won't be disappointed!"

"Oh, I'm sure we won't be," Red stated, waving a hand to signal the workers to cut the transmission. As Zim vanished from the screen, Red turned to Purple and smirked.

"See? I told you we wouldn't starve."

He sank his teeth into his doughnut, unable to believe that it was actually better than the ones they had gotten from Sizz Lorr.

~PRZ~

There were no words that could even begin to explain how happy Zim was right now.

For once, the Tallest actually had time to hear about his plans to bring Earth to its knees. Many times, his leaders were too busy with 'Tallest stuff' (to quote Tallest Purple when Zim tried to tell them about his beaver plan) to even hear a brief outline of his latest scheme.

Like all Irkens, Zim was completely devoted to his Tallest. In fact, Zim believed himself to be the most loyal Invader under Tallest Red and Purple's command. Whatever they told him to do, he did without a single question or complaint. His leaders were the wisest Irkens he knew and he strived for their attention.

Then again, he strived for everyone's attention. Being short wasn't easy on Irk, and besides smeets, Zim was the shortest Irken alive.

But he made up for it. He worked hard, harder than all the other Invaders. He'd blown up the most stuff in Operation Impending 1 (never mind it was on his own planet) and had quit being 'banished' (he still considered it a vacation) to help out everyone in Operation Impending Doom 2.

Who cared if he was short? He was an Invader!

The small Invader tapped a panel in his Voot Cruiser, double checking the coordinates he'd been given. He'd told Gir to guard the house while he was gone. However, Gir had proven time and time again that something was wrong with his security systems. Zim's conclusion was that his advanced SIR was a beta and that the Tallest had given it to him so he could test it.

"With my luck, that wretched Dib is eating cupcakes in my living room." Zim growled and grit his teeth. Oh how he loathed the Dib! The evil human always got in Zim's way!

Zim's latest plan would take care of that though. Oh yes, the Dib, and all his fellow humans, wouldn't know what hit them.

"Destination reached."

Zim fought back a smeetish squeal of joy and stared outside his Voot Cruiser at the Massive, his leaders' mode of transport. The entire ship was enormous, living up to its name, and Zim couldn't wait to enter it. He'd never been on the Massive before (except to pilot it once); only the greatest Irkens were allowed inside it.

And the Tallest had invited him on it! This time Zim was unable to conceal an eager squeak, watching as the boarding area opened to allow him access. His Tallest has requested him to talk to them in person! He hadn't felt this happy since he'd graduated training!

A metal arm grabbed his Voot Cruiser and dragged him in, shutting down his vessel for him to conserve its energy for his ride back. Once it was safe, Zim exited the Voot and stared in wonder at the room around him. True, it was only the holding bay, but it was huge! He felt even smaller than he had when he was a smeet.

Two guards walked in and silently led him through the halls and passageways of the Massive. Zim tried to remember the path they were taking, but soon he found himself giving up the impossible task. However, Zim stopped in his tracks as one specific room caught his eye.

"Is that the Tallest's resting chambers!"

"Yes. Now hurry up," one of the guards hissed, grabbing Zim's arm. Zim smacked his hand away in disgust. How dare he touch the great Invader Zim! It was considered rude amongst Invaders to grab another Irken without permission unless they were in a battle against each other.

The guard glared at him and continued leading him, passing by a room that some workers were preparing. It looked like a guest room of some kind. Maybe the Tallest had a visitor and they'd introduce Zim to them as their best soldier!

Zim became lost in dreams of glory and splendor, not even noticing when the guards stopped and left him in front of a large door. Only when said door opened did the small Irken snap back to reality, his vision obscured by red and purple.

"Ah, Zim! Welcome! I take it you made it here smoothly? No troubles at all?"

Zim looked up, grinning back at his superiors. He smartly saluted before answering Tallest Red's questions. "The trip was easy, sir. My only concern is that Gir might have let an intruder into the base by now."

"Oh, no need to worry about that, Zim," Red replied, stepping aside to allow Zim to pass. "Come on in. You must be tired after your trip. And we have much to discuss."

"That we do," Zim confirmed, walking past the much taller Irkens. He forced himself to contain his wonder as he stared at the control room of the Massive. He was in the presence of his leaders now; he had to stay calm and collected.

The door shut and Red locked it before following Zim, Purple at his heels. "Now, about your plan-"

"Yes, yes! Zim's plan!" Zim turned to face his leaders, unable to contain his excitement. "See, Zim's plan is a simple one, involving a creature known as a 'chinchilla'-"

"Forget it. We don't care what your plan is."

Zim stopped in midsentence, his antennae quirking in confusion. "What?"

"We don't care."

Dread was clawing at Zim's throat and squeedilyspooch, though he didn't know why. "B-But you said-"

"We lied," Purple answered, digging through an almost completely empty bag of doughnuts. Zim stared at his Tallest, unable to comprehend what they were saying.

"Look, Zim, your plans are stupid and they always backfire. We've never really cared about what they were. But we're not here to discuss your plans. We're here to discuss this."

Red pulled a doughnut out of his pak. There was a bite taken out of it, but Zim recognized it as one of the ones he'd sent them earlier. The smallest Irken gulped. "I-I don't understand-"

"You can cook," Purple interrupted, eying the doughnut. Zim suddenly noticed that the bag he was holding wasn't almost completely empty; it was COMPLETELY empty.

"Sizz Lorr has canceled all shipments of snacks to us," Red explained, twirling the doughnut on a slender finger. "We've run out of snacks and, as even a defect like you can figure out, Sizz Lorr not giving us snacks anymore is bad."

"Really bad!"

"So we're reassigning you."

Zim's jaw dropped in shock. "Reassigning! But my Tallest! Earth is so close to conquest! You can't send me to another planet-"

"We're not reassigning you to another planet, Zim," Red growled, glaring down at Zim. "We're reassigning you to a different task."

A thick cable shot out from Red's pak, connecting forcefully with Zim's and lifting him into the air. His pak's status and his current assigned career overcame his vision, making Zim scowl. "Why does it still say I'm in food service!"

"We never bothered changing it," Red answered, his antennae lowering as he frowned in thought. "Let's see, this task needs a name…"

"How about 'Snack Maker'?" Purple piped up, joining his partner. Zim twitched an antenna, not understanding the situation fully just yet. The dread from earlier though was only getting worse.

"No, that doesn't sound right. How about… 'Snack Drone'?"

"I don't like it."

Red narrowed his eyes. "Fine. How about…" He tapped his chin, deep in thought. Zim fought back a whimper. The connecting cord wasn't exactly comfortable and was starting to make him feel ill as the sheer power of Red's pak continued to pulse in his. That and the horrible feeling of dread was now turning his spooch inside out with its force.

"I know! 'Personal Servant'?"

Purple scowled. "Hm… I like it!"

"'Personal Servant' it is." Red smirked, looking at the still suspended Zim. "Personal Servant Zim… Zim, the Personal Servant of the Tallest… It's got a nice ring to it."

"Oo, use the last one! It's longer and sounds cool!"

"Alright, Pur. We'll go with 'Zim, the Personal Servant of the Tallest' then." The cable connected to Zim's pak surged with power as the new data from Red's pak was transferred to Zim's. The small Irken yelped, the new data making his small body tense as its coding flashed before his eyes, his antennae buzzing from the electricity coursing through him. This was different from when the Control Brains had reassigned him; it was harsh, terrifying, painful…

"When this is done, I want doughnuts. Let's order him to make us doughnuts!"

"I don't know, Pur, it looks like reassigning him manually is taking a lot out of him."

"But I want doughnuts!"

"You won't get doughnuts if he passes out, Pur. I'm pretty sure you need to be awake to make doughnuts."

After what felt like hours of agony, Red retracted the cable. Zim collapsed to the floor, his mind and body numb and his vision fuzzy. He realized that Red was right; the reassigning had taken a lot out of him. As his sight faded completely, seven words echoed through his head as he felt himself pass out.

Zim, the Personal Servant of the Tallest.


	2. Chapter 2

I'm going for weekly updates here, so every Sunday I'll upload another chapter. That way I (hopefully) won't fall behind on updates. Enjoy! ^^

**Chapter Two**

Zim awoke to find himself in a sea of red, purple, and magenta. Something soft was embracing him, keeping him comfortably warm and making it hard for him to fully wake up.

His pak was pulsing however, each pulse wreaking agony on his spine, and sleep was no longer an option. The small Irken moaned and buried his head in the soft sea surrounding him, trying to remember what happened.

After about an hour, the pain ceased to exist and Zim shakily sat up, taking in his surroundings. He was in a standard Irken resting chamber, a place where Irkens would rest depending on how exhausted they were. Of course, these rooms were a fiercely guarded secret amongst Invaders; it was not a wanted event to wake up with your enemy holding a gun to your head.

Zim, however, had never included a resting chamber in his base. Sleep was a pointless waste of time. As long as you spent your energy wisely and took short, 5 minute naps at your computer now and then, Zim figured you could function just fine. It was how he had managed for as long as he could remember.

Perhaps he was wrong though. At least that's what he thought as he sank into the sea of pillows and blankets that covered the bed of this resting chamber. He found himself dozing off…

"Good, you're awake."

Zim's eyes parted into slits, trying to locate the source of the voice. The speaker silently drifted to the side of the bed, pulling the covers away from the small Irken. "Nap time's over, Zim. Get up."

"Yeah! Get up and make us some doughnuts!"

"Doughnuts?" Zim mumbling, sitting up and rubbing an eye. He tried to remember what happened before he'd woken up. There was pain, he remembered that clearly, but what came before the pain?

"Yeah, doughnuts! You're our servant now! It's your job to make us doughnuts!"

"Pur, could you please shut up and be patient? You've been talking about nothing but doughnuts for HOURS."

"I LIKE doughnuts. Now make him make us doughnuts, Red!"

The events of earlier rushed back and Zim snapped to attention, his head turning to look at his leaders. "M-My Tallest!"

"Nice to see you're finally up," Red remarked dryly, looking down at the smaller Irken. Zim winced before letting out a small gasp.

"My mission! I have to get back to my mission and conquer Earth for you-"

"You're not an Invader anymore, Zim," Red hissed, narrowing his eyes. "Check your pak. You're our servant now."

"But sir! Invader's blood-"

"Your pak, Zim."

Zim scowled at the taller Irken before obeying him, relaxing as he sifted through the data in his pak. Slowly, his eyes widened as he bit his lip in shock.

"And what does your pak say your assigned career is, Zim?" Red asked, a smirk playing on his lips. Zim whimpered, unable to believe any of this was happening.

"What does it say, Zim?" Purple demanded, grinning wickedly. "Huh? HUH?"

"'Zim, the Personal Servant of the Tallest'."

"That's right," Red replied, voice smug and triumphant. "Now, come with us and we'll show you to your work room."

"Yay! We're gonna have DOUGHNUTS!"

"But… But WHY my Tallest!" Zim cried, staring pleadingly at Red. Maybe this was a joke? Yes! A joke! Not just a joke, but a test! A test to see just how devoted he was to his mission!

"Because, stupid, doughnuts are delicious," Purple scoffed. Red shook his head.

"Because you can cook, and we needed to replace Sizz Lorr.  
Honestly Zim, did you really think we'd care about your stupid plans on a whim? You proved you were capable of this position the moment you sent us those amazing doughnuts!"

Zim stared at Red, still in disbelief. He couldn't be a measly servant drone! He was an Invader! He was the best Invader in history! He had a secret mission! He didn't have time for this!

This couldn't be happening!

His pak said otherwise.

"Hurry up Zim. We haven't got all day. And we haven't had our daily snacks for HOURS now. I should know, since Pur won't shut up about it."

"I like snacks!"

"I know you do." The red leader turned to Zim, his strict gaze making the smaller Irken flinch. "Now get up or we'll have to punish you."

Zim obeyed, wordlessly following his Tallest as they led him down a hall. Everything felt surreal and distant, not quite registering in Zim's confused state of mind. He couldn't be a servant. He just couldn't…

"We're here."

Zim looked up, taking in his surroundings. It was a large room vaguely resembling a kitchen. Ovens lined the walls while stoves filled the center of the room. In one distant corner was a storage room, in the other a series of racks containing pots and pans.

Zim looked up at Red. "What is this?"

"A kitchen. What else would it be?" Red shoved Zim into the room, causing the smaller Irken to fall to his knees. "Now get to work. We want doughnuts."

"And lots of them!"

The door slammed shut as Zim's leaders left him. Zim shuddered and stared at the closed doors.

"I should never have let Gir convince me into winning them over with snacks."

~PRZ~

It was another typical day for the Tallest. Lounging in their chairs, sipping sodas, yelling at workers for nothing but the fun of it.

The only thing missing were the doughnuts.

Purple growled, glaring at the only doors leading to the control room of the Massive. "How long does it take to make doughnuts! I'm HUNGRY!"

"Relax, Pur," Red sighed for what felt like the hundredth time. "He still looked pretty exhausted. Chances are he'll take a while to perk up to his normal, defective self. Then we'll have all the snacks we want."

He grinned and sipped his soda. This had to be the best plan he'd ever had. Zim was no longer able to call them every waking hour of the day; instead he was slaving over a hot stove to make them snacks. Snacks that, as he had proven with the doughnuts, were better than Sizz Lorr's. Sizz Lorr! The finest gourmet Irken chef that Irk had ever known!

"It's almost too good to be true," he chuckled, tapping the sides of his soda as he sighed happily.

"Hey Red…"

"Yeah Pur?"

"Am I the only one who noticed that Zim was acting like he'd never rested in a resting chamber before?"

Red paused in mid drink, allowing himself to ponder this statement. "You have a point, Pur. He looked almost reluctant to wake up."

"Then again, it could just be lingering side effects from you manually reassigning his pak."

Red shrugged. "Doesn't matter either way. Point is, he's our new servant to do with as we please."

He glanced at Purple, taking a casual sip of his soda as he did so. The purple clad leader was tapping the top of his soda impatiently, his antennae bouncing up and down as his eyes kept wandering to the main doors. Red then looked over their workers, Irkens who were only in the room to receive calls for them and pilot the Massive…

He licked his lips. "Listen up! All of you! I desire a moment to speak in private with my partner! So get lost!"

The workers all cast glances at each other, but never the less obeyed. Not obeying a direct order from the Tallest could get you killed. And after the fate of the latest worker to anger their leaders, fate would not be tempted.

Once the last of the lower Irkens left the room, Red grabbed Purple's soda and took it from him. "You're still obsessing over the doughnuts, Pur."

"But Red! I'm hungry!"

Red shook his head. Purple could be a bit dense at times, and his squeedilyspooch always came before everything else. Well, almost everything else. The red clad Irken smirked and leaned in close to his partner's antennae. "Can't you just be patient Pur? What's another few minutes?"

Finally Red's intentions were reaching Purple's mind. Slowly he grinned, allowing one of his antennae to brush slightly against the others. "Well… When you put it like that…"

He glanced around the empty room before allowing a deep purr to escape his throat. They had agreed long ago that no one was to know of this. It was a secret, a secret kept between the both of them.

There was a knock at the door.

Red cursed loudly and pulled away from Purple, handing him back his soda. "Enter!"

The doors opened and Zim cautiously poked his head in, taking in his surroundings. "Er, sorry I'm late, my Tallest. I got lost… ON PURPOSE!"

The small Irken cackled, his annoying laugh grating against Red's antennae. One of them still tingled where Purple's had touched it… He shook his head of such thoughts and cleared his throat. "Sure you did, Zim. Did you come with the snacks?"

"Yes! Zim has made your snacks!" Zim walked into the room the rest of the way, revealing a large serving plate piled high with doughnuts, muffins, cupcakes, and strange slabs of pastries covered in syrup. Purple's tongue hung out of his mouth as a trail of drool dribbled down his chin.

"Well done," Red stated, staring in disgust at Purple. He hated when Purple drooled. It was so… Un-Tallest like. "Bring us our food now and go away."

Zim marched over and handed the plate to Purple, who immediately dug in without a word of gratitude. Instead of leaving he simply stood between the Tallest, hands clasped behind his back as his antennae twitched in thought. After a few minutes of this, the defective Irken inhaled deeply.

"My Tallest. About this… reassigning..."

"What about it?" Red asked, helping himself to a cupcake. Purple had frosting all over his face and it was taking all his self-control not lean over and lick it off for him.

"I know that this entire reassigning business is a test of Zim's loyalty. But honestly, sirs, you don't need to test me! You know how loyal I am! And I must return to my mission!"

Zim STILL believed he was on a secret mission! Red grit his teeth, placing his uneaten cupcake back on the plate of snacks. Purple eagerly devoured it for him. "This isn't a TEST, Zim. You're our SERVANT now."

"But… But I can't be a mere servant! I'm an Invader! I can't be anything but an Invader! I-I'm an INVADER!"

The small Irken clenched his fists, glaring defiantly at his leaders, daring them to say otherwise. Red was shocked to find it… cute.

He banished the thought. "You're not an Invader, Zim. You never were one-"

"LIES!" Zim screeched, pointing at Red with a trembling finger. The sound of Purple eating stopped, causing the whole room to fill with silence…

The plate of snacks flew to the floor with a crash as Purple grabbed Zim's wrist, pulling him close so quickly that the defect fell into his lap.

Zim's face darkened, a deep emerald color that could only be described as a blush. "M-M-My Tallest-"

"He has thumbs, Red."

The red clad leader twitched an antenna, leaning in for a better look. "He does?"

Purple only nodded, using his free hand to pry open the fist he was holding. Red slowly counted the fingers, ignoring Zim's discomfort. Three. There were three fingers on the smaller Irken's hand.

He looked at his own hand. Two slender fingers, no thumb. Looking at Zim's hand again, he noticed that one of Zim's three fingers was indeed a thumb.

He felt the strange urge to touch it. Purple obviously shared in his urges, not at all afraid to gently play with the digit with his free hand. "Remember when we had thumbs, Red? Before we became Tallest…"

"Yeah…" Red gazed at his hand again, remembering the reason for the scars where his and Purple's thumbs used to be.

It was a symbolic practice. It showed you were willing to give anything for your planet, for your people. It was part of being a Tallest.

You gave your thumbs to prove your devotion.

A whimper broke through Red's thoughts. The Tallest looked down at Purple's captive, noticing how he was trembling and blushing immensely. It suddenly hit him; Invaders weren't used to physical contact that wasn't painful or violent. Slowly, he grinned.

"Pur…"

"Hm?"

"It's not nice to play with a new toy without sharing."

Purple frown in confusion, then grinned as he slowly understood Red's words and offered him the hand. Red reached for the tempting thumb, his fingers just a mere inch away…

"Your thumb…"

The leader stopped, Zim's words breaking the hold the thumb had had on him. He looked down at the smaller Irken, still curled up on Purple's lap and blushing a deep green. His magenta eyes were locked on Red's hand, still hovering over his own.

"What happened to your… thumb?"

Red growl, jerking his hand away and holding it to his chest. Of course, Zim's question was understandable; the process of becoming Tallest was unknown to lower Irkens. But right now Red felt… sore about the topic of his missing thumbs. Sore and jealous.

How DARE this… This… DEFECT have thumbs while he didn't!

"Why don't we have our snacks, ZIM?" Red spat, refusing to look at the shorter Irken.

"Er… Tallest Purple knocked them over…"

"Don't blame your Tallest, ZIM. Now, quit playing around and make us a new tray of snacks. In fact, I believe your reassigning is worthy of celebration. Tell me, Pur, how would you like an all you can eat doughnut party?"

"WOO! YAY DOUGHNUTS!" Purple released Zim's wrist, standing up in delight as he threw his hands in the air. Zim fell to the floor, still blushing and shaking slightly.

"B-But my Tallest-"

"Get to work Zim!" Purple demanded, shoving a finger in Zim's face. "Doughnuts don't make themselves!"

"Yeah, ZIM. Your place is in the kitchen. In fact, you will stay in the kitchen until we have had our fill and retire to our chambers. We'll send a worker drone to pick up our food."

"But what happened to your thumbs!" Zim cried, scrambling to his feet. Red made the mistake of looking at him, taking in the still evident blush, the lowered antennae, the pleading look…

Red realized, to his horror, that he LIKED seeing Zim like this. Helpless, confused, vulnerable…

Blushing…

If it weren't for the fact Zim was questioning him about his thumbs, the Tallest would've made Zim's current state last longer.

"That's none of your business, ZIM. Now return to your new work station."

"Yeah! Or we'll throw you out of the air lock!"

Purple's statement managed to jar the defective Irken out of his confused, questioning state. Zim squeaked in terror and ran out, leaving the two to themselves.

Red sighed heavily. "Again with the air locks, Pur!"

"What? I want my doughnuts!"

Red shook his head, unable to hold back a smile. "You and your doughnuts…"

"Well you know what they say! Doughnuts make everything better!"

"Who says that?"

Purple scowled, trying to think up the answer. Red chuckled and finally gave into his urge to lick the still present frosting on Purple's face.

"Now… where were we before Zim showed up?"

Purple purred, rubbing an antenna against his partner's. "I remember."


	3. Chapter 3

Ok, another Sunday has come meaning another weekly update! Yay! xD

A brief warning! The following chapter might seem like the Irken equivalent of sex. It involves a highly sensitive pak and Zim in a very awkward situation. I personally don't view it as sex, but if you feel that two Irkens messing with a pak is like that, then you don't have to read the chapter.

Just thought I'd prevent possible flames with a warning. xP

**Chapter Three**

Zim was EXHAUSTED. Beyond exhausted, in fact.

After he'd been sent to the kitchen, he'd been forced to make more doughnuts in one night than he had in the 7 years he'd been on Earth. By the time his leaders had decided to call it a night, Zim could barely see straight and the heat of the overused kitchen hadn't helped at all.

Zim stumbled into the guest resting chamber, his tired mind not even noticing how his pak was referring to it as his room now. The bed looked even more tempting than it had been earlier.

Forcing himself to stay awake just a little bit longer, the small Irken stripped down to his leggings and collapsed into the bed. As soon as his head hit the pillows he sighed, sinking into a dreamless sleep.

~PRZ~

"Those doughnuts were DELICIOUS."

Purple licked his lips, the mere memory of the doughnuts from earlier making his mouth water. Never before had he dined on such heavenly food; even Sizz Lorr, who was famous for his amazing cooking, had never made the Tallest's squeedilyspooch so happily full.

"How does he do it?" his partner mumbled, a finger tapping his chin in thought. "Why is his food so… Amazing?"

"Who cares?" Purple stated, playfully flicking one of Red's antennae and making the other purr. "Just enjoy it."

Red shook his head, gently pushing Purple's hand away. "And he had to ask about…"

He trailed off. Purple twitched an antenna, frowning slightly. "You're still sore about that?"

"Well, aren't YOU?"

The purple clad leader shrugged. "No, not really…"

"He had NO RIGHT to ask." Red clenched his fists briefly before pointing at Purple. "You could've at least let me have my fun before he spoke!"

"Well what's stopping you from having your fun now?"

The other Tallest froze. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, he's probably asleep by now. Since we worked him so hard, he won't even wake up if you play with his thumbs…"

Silence. Slowly Red's face twisted into a grin. "Is it worth it?"

"Oh yes! Of course!"

"Then what are we waiting for?" Red asked, hovering to the door of their resting chamber. "After all, he's only a room away."

Purple couldn't help but follow, smirking proudly. He felt good about telling his partner to go through with this. And Red would see just how great playing with the defect's thumbs was.

The purple Tallest snickered, visions of a helpless Zim filling his head. There would definitely be more of that, he decided.

Especially since Red wanted that too. Purple had seen the look on his face when Zim had looked at the red clad leader so nervously. It was obvious Red liked it as much as he did…

The trip to Zim's new room was short. Red opened the door and peaked inside. "You're right, Pur. He's fast asleep."

"Go on, Red," Purple purred next to Red's antennae. "You know you wanna~!"

Red's antennae twitched in annoyance and the red Tallest went to the side of Zim's bed, pulling back the covers to retrieve the smaller Irken's hands. As Purple joined him, he couldn't help but stare at the sleeping defect. This was the most insane and dangerous Irken in all of history!

It was hard to believe that statement when Zim was curled up so… innocently.

Red raised his hand up triumphantly, the sleeping Irken's hand held firmly in his grasp. A twinge of jealous hit Purple; the hand was ungloved, meaning Red would have more fun than he had.

Red gently stroked Zim's thumb, eyes glazed slightly as he spoke. "Were our thumbs like this?"

"Probably. I don't remember."

"How long has it been, Pur? How long has it been since they cut off our thumbs?"

Purple's antennae lowered slightly, his hands starting to tingle slightly from phantom pain. "I… I don't know, Red…"

Red looked down at the still sleeping Zim, his eyes still distant. "Everyone wants to be Tallest. They think it's all eating and bossing people around. They don't realize it's such a huge responsibility…"

He stopped, his antennae drooping. Purple scratched an arm, not really knowing what to say.

"Say Pur…"

Purple looked back at Red. "Yeah?"

A wicked grin overcame Red's face, his sober mood immediately forgotten. "I wanna make him chirp."

Purple grinned back.

Back in time, long ago, when Irkens still mated in a natural way, certain rituals were performed when attracting a mate. One of those rituals was chirping, used by both genders to show they were happy to be around their mate and were completely devoted to them.

Now of course, with such devices as the Control Brains and Smeeteries, mating was no longer required, to the point where Irkens didn't even have reproductive organs anymore. But the ability to chirp had remained. Now it had become the most embarrassing sound for an Irken to make rather than a sign of devotion…

"Oh, you mean like I made you chirp?"

Red glared at Purple, his face darkening in a blush. "Shut up! Just because you made me chirp and I couldn't make you chirp doesn't give you the right to rub my face in it!"

Purple laughed, enjoying the blush on his partner's cheeks. "Does so! I bet you can't even make ZIM chirp! Go ahead! Try it!"

"I will!" Red snapped, dropping Zim's hand and running his hands along the edge of Zim's pak, where metal met flesh.

There was only one way to make an Irken chirp that the Tallest knew of; play with the pak until something happened. It was how Purple had made Red chirp, and Red was now going to do the same to the sleeping defect before him.

After searching for a while, Red found what he was looking for, a small indent on every Irken's pak meant for opening the device in case of emergencies. Red inserted a claw into the indent and with a soft hiss the pak opened, allowing the Tallest access to what was otherwise forbidden. "Let's see now…"

Red stopped, frowning slightly. Purple smirked smugly, fighting back a giggle. Red didn't have a clue what he was doing and it always amused him when the red leader was confused. Usually it was the other way around.

"I'll try… That one," Red announced, touching something in Zim's pak. The small Irken shuddered, burying his face further in his pillows.

It was unknown why Irken paks were so sensitive inside. All Purple knew was that it was fun to stroke and prod everything in a pak to watch its owner squirm.

Red scowled, trying to decide on another mode of attack. "Maybe… this?"

He reached into the pak again and pulled. Zim cried out, his small fists clenching tightly. Purple winced, his antennae flattening. "Red, that's a pain receptor."

"I know that!" Red pouted, not wanting to admit he hadn't known. Purple sighed and pushed him away from Zim, who mumbled something in Irken and slowly parted his eyes.

"My… Tallest?"

"Hold him down, Red, while I show you how to do it."

"Back off, Pur! I can do it myself!"

"You SUCK at this though! Let me do it!"

Red growled, antennae lowering slightly. "Fine." Slowly, he smiled, leaning over Purple's shoulder. "Teach me then."

"Wha-Why is my pak open? Why can't I close it?"

"Quiet Zim," Red whispered, moving away from his partner and holding Zim down by his waist. His smile morphed until he was grinning madly.

"But-"

Purple reached into the defect's pak, pressing a flashing red button. Zim gasped and went completely limp, his eyes wide in shock. "Always press that button first. It stops movement."

"Fascinating!" Red exclaimed, releasing his grip on Zim. "Then what?"

"Well, then you poke THIS."

Purple poked a small button that to anyone else wouldn't look any different from the other buttons in a pak. Beneath him the small Irken shuddered, a strange sound bubbling up his throat. Red's face had already twisted into one of pure jealousy. "Then?"

"Well, you take this bar above the button from before…" Purple grabbed the bar, causing Zim to gasp, his eyes closing until they were only half open. "And then you pull it."

The response was fast, even faster than it had been when Purple had done this to Red; the defect's eyes slipped close as a moan escaped his mouth. "Wha… What are you… doing…"

"Shut up, Zim," Red hissed dryly, eyes glued to what Purple was doing. "What comes after the bar thing?"

"Well… You see this slot?"

"Yes… It looks like a microchip slot."

"You press a finger in there like this."

Purple snickered as Zim shuddered and squirmed, loud whines ripping through his throat and out of his mouth. Red was intrigued now, forgetting he was supposed to be jealous. The Tallest had never heard Zim make noises like this before, only boisterous yells and over confident cackles.

"And THEN what do you do?"

"This." Purple ran a hand over everything in the entire pak, leaving no button or wire untouched. Zim trembled violently, a purr tearing through him as he finally awoke completely.

"M-M-M-My Tall-l-lest… Wha… What are… you… Why… You… need to… stop…"

His voice died down, the purr overcoming the urge to speak. Red quirked an antenna. "Can I try?"

"Sure!" Purple withdrew his hand, watching as his partner mimicked his actions and stroked the inside of Zim's pak. The defect moaned loudly, his antennae twitching rapidly. "Now repeat what I did with the bar…"

Red copied him again, moving the bar much slower than Purple had. Zim's trembling increased, his fingers curling as his purring increased in rate. "Like this?"

"Excellent! Now use your other hand to stroke his antennae."

Zim shuddered, choking on a noise that sounded suspiciously like a chirp. "B-B-But my T-Tallest! Ant-t-tennae t-t-touching is f-forbidden!"

"Relax Zim," Red purred, doing as Purple instructed. "Don't tell your Tallest what to do…"

He withdrew his hand from the pak, allowing Purple to take command again. Zim gritted his teeth, finally realizing what they were up to. Purple couldn't help the evil grin sliding into place on his face. This was going to be FUN.

"And now you pull on this cable only slightly. You have to gentle though, or it will hurt."

"You- You can't DO this!" Zim managed to squeak, his chest heaving. "I-It's FOR-" He shuddered and moaned, erupting into purrs again. Purple chuckled, unable to resist licking one of Zim's antennae. He was remembering how he'd made Red squirm and purr like this. He hadn't done this in so long he'd forgotten how much FUN it was.

"Go on!" Red yelled, voice betraying how eager he was for Purple to continue. "What comes after the cable?"

"After the cable you press these buttons over here. The order doesn't really matter, so long as you press them all at least once."

Purple snickered. He actually had an order he liked to follow, one that pressed all the buttons at least three times over the required one. With swiftly moving fingers, he proceeded to follow his preference, taking delight when Zim whined and whimpered with each press of a button.

"Then you grab this OTHER bar and push it slightly to the right. And after that, you have to be quick and flip these switches at the same time before the bar rights itself. Then you flip the switches back and GENTLY graze your claws along the cable from earlier. Slowly, with a slight zig zaggy pattern…"

And at that moment, Purple was ALMOST rewarded for his efforts. Zim clenched his jaw, choking on more chirp like sounds that struggled to escape.

Red laughed, a sound that Purple craved and never tired of. "You almost have him, Pur! What do you do now!"

"Stroke his pak again," Purple replied, doing as he said. "Slowly, and making sure you touch every single thing in it. After doing that a few times, you nudge this bundle of cables, and then push the first bar you moved back into its rightful place."

Zim shuddered, another moan passing his lips and changing into a purr louder than before. It was time for the finishing move now, the frosting on the doughnut, as Purple liked to say. He paused for dramatic effect, gently prodding a slot in Zim's pak and enjoying the desperate whines coming from the still purring defect.

"Then what, Pur!" Red finally erupted, voice pleading Purple to share his wisdom. "How do you finally make him chirp!"

"Why, you press the flashing button we began with!"

No sooner had Purple done so when chirping filled the air and Zim fell completely limp, magenta eyes half lidded as a blush of embarrassment stained his cheeks. Pleased that he hadn't lost his touch, Purple closed the chirping defect's pak and smirked at Red. "You get all that?"

Red however was staring at Zim, one of his antennae perked slightly. "Did my chirp sound like that?"

The purple leader scowled, listening closely to Zim. "No… Yours was lower, kinda more drawn out… More… Orderly."

Whereas Zim's was high pitched and chaotically fast in pace. Purple couldn't help but liken it to the way Zim usually acted, with his insane babbling and outbursts…

He found himself reflecting on Red's chirp now. It was like Red too; serious, straight forward, intelligent, sophisticated in a way.

"I think chirps are… unique," he stated, scratching his chin in thought. "Different depending on the Irken."

Red shrugged. "Well, the important thing is we made Zim chirp." Slowly he smirked, running his claws along Purple's back right where the pak connected. "And you taught me how to do it."

Purple gulped, his antennae twitching nervously as Red pulled him back to their room. Indeed, Red was intelligent.

"Come, Pur," his partner murmured, rubbing his antennae against Purple's. "Let's check your theory."

For starters, he always knew how to fool Purple into teaching him new tricks.


	4. Chapter 4

"I hate you."

Red smirked, brushing an antenna against one of his sulking partner's. "Aw, come on Pur. You STILL sore about last night?"

The purple clad leader growled in annoyance, jerking his antennae out of the other's reach. After their fun with Zim, Red had used what Purple had taught him to make the smug Irken chirp. This, of course, was NOT something Purple had wanted and he was now refusing to give or receive any and all affection from Red.

Red, however, wasn't giving up and leaned closer to Purple, enjoying his victory to the fullest. "Come on, Pur," he purred softly. "You know you liked it."

Purple pushed Red's face away, swinging himself out of their bed. "I'm hungry. Let's go get Zim to make us doughnuts."

Red sighed, deciding to allow his fellow Tallest to pout like a Smeet if he wanted to. "Very well. Let's go see Zim."

However, when the two reached the defect's room, the bed was empty, with no Zim in sight. Red scowled and grabbed a passing worker drone, spinning her around to face him. "Where's Zim?"

"I-In the kitchen, sirs! Asked not to be disturbed, sirs!"

Red released the worker and glanced at Purple, who merely shrugged. "Well, he IS doing his job…"

"Then we'll leave him be for the moment," Red stated, floating off with Purple at his heel. "Since we're up and about I guess we might as well check on the Invaders. Get it out of the way, you know?"

"Can we have another party afterwards? Oo! Let's have cupcakes this time! Not as great as doughnuts, but I'm in the mood for 'em!"

"Very well, we can have cupcakes." Red smirked and grabbed Purple's wrist, staring intently into the others eyes. "But first admit you had fun last night."

Purple pouted, a slight blush tinting his cheeks. "Fine, I liked it. Happy now?"

"Why yes. Yes I am."

Red released his grip on his partner and continued to the main control room. Purple followed, now floating at the red clad Tallest's side.

No sooner had they entered the room when a steady beeping filled the air. "Incoming transmission from Earth."

"Earth?" Red scowled, his antennae lowering. "But Zim's with us."

"Maybe it's his SIR unit?" Purple offered, settling into his seat. "The thing does have a habit of calling us every now and then…"

"Only one way to find out," Red stated, waving a hand to signal the workers to put the caller on. The screen fizzled, and then turned on to reveal a large headed human with large glasses.

The boy looked oddly familiar. Red quirked an antenna in curiosity, his pak sorting through his memories to find out where he'd seen this boy before as he spoke up. "Who are you and what are you doing in Zim's base?"

"His evil robot minion let me in. Now where's Zim?"

The human's golden eyes narrowed behind his glasses, his voice laced with rage. Now Red remembered this human. It was the boy who had called them after Sizz Lorr had captured Zim and kept him on Foodcourtia for three whole days. How long ago had that been? Well, Red really didn't care.

The red Tallest sighed, growing bored with the boy on the screen already. "Relax, pathetic Earthinoid. Zim's no longer a threat to your planet."

"Where is he!" the human snapped, glaring at the Irken leaders. Red felt an antennae twitch in annoyance, fists clenching at the command.

"We reassigned him, human," Red growled, forcing himself to stay calm. Something about this human was not sitting right with his squeedilyspooch. There was something in his eyes, the way he seemed so determined to find out where the little defect was…

Dare he say, Red suddenly felt… possessive. And judging by how quiet Purple had been during the entire exchange, he felt the same way.

"What do you mean 'reassigned him'?"

"Look, I'm not going into detail with a LESSER being, but I will tell you Irkens are assigned parts in the Irken community. Zim has been reassigned to be OUR personal servant."

"Why the hell would you reassign him!" the human yelled loudly. "Zim's a GREAT Invader-"

"Zim was a HORRIBLE Invader," Red corrected, unable to hold back a hiss of anger. Did this human honestly not understand he was talking to a powerful extraterrestrial being here! A being that could snuff his existence out with a snap of his fingers!  
Did this pathetic creature even know Zim!

"You're wrong! I've been fighting him for 7 whole years and not once has he made it easy for me to stop him! He's MY enemy and I'm not losing him to the likes of YOU!"

It was then Red realized why the human was so determined to find Zim, even if the boy didn't realize it himself.

The human loved Zim.

Love was a foreign concept to most, if not all, Irkens. It wasn't needed and highly discouraged. Of course, being Tallest, Red had made exceptions for himself and Purple, but there was no way they were going public.

The possessive feeling grew stronger.

"Will all workers please leave us to talk to our… guest alone?"

The workers all looked at each other, the fake calm in Red's voice even more terrifying than Purple's threats about the airlock. As one mass the lower Irkens fled the room, leaving the Tallest alone with the human.

Red inhaled deeply, though it did nothing to calm his growing anger. "Zim is not yours, you pathetic creature."

"He's MY enemy!" the boy snarled, gritting his teeth in rage. "He's been my enemy for SEVEN WHOLE YEARS! You haven't even cared about him!"

"He's been a member of the Irken Empire for 169 years, HUMAN. And since we're leaders of said Empire, it is OUR CHOICE if we want him back after a 7 year exile."

Confusion silenced the human, his mouth opening and closing as his mind sought out words. Red couldn't help the smug grin taking over his face. Maybe the boy would leave now? One could only hope.

Sadly though, hoping wasn't enough. The boy's eyes narrowed again as he returned to his mood of earlier. "I don't fucking care. Send him back NOW."

Red hissed, antennae flat against his head. "Listen you disgusting-"

"Red."

The red clad Tallest glanced at Purple, antennae still low in anger. "What!"

Slowly his partner grinned, floating to the communications controls and shutting off the visual and audio feeds from Zim's base to the Massive. "Arguing with such a lower life form is pointless. Why not SHOW him our ownership of Zim?"

Red quirked a questioning antenna before returning Purple's grin. "He can still see and hear us."

"Shall we send for Zim?"

"Why yes. I believe we shall."

~PRZ~

Zim took his sweet time walking to the main control room of the Massive, his grip on his tray of snacks so tight that his gloved hands were trembling.

After last night, Zim had come to the conclusion that his Tallest had completely lost it. They'd broken so many taboos; antennae touching, pak play, hell, touching an Irken Invader without permission!

One thing was for certain though, and that was that Zim did NOT want to see his Tallest again. Just thinking about them was wreaking havoc on his mind and emotions. Every time his thoughts returned to the events of last night, his cheeks would become blazing hot and his squeedilyspooch tied itself in knots to the point where he wanted to curl up in a corner and cease to exist. No matter how hard he tried to come up with a reason for Red and Purple's actions, nothing would present itself. The taller Irkens going crazy was the only solution!

Much too soon, Zim reached his destination, freezing in his tracks and staring at the door. Every cable in his pak was telling him to turn around and go back. But what if doing that resulted in a repeat of last night? The small defect shuddered, a frightened purr starting up in the back of his throat as his squeedilyspooch churned. No, he had to go in. The punishment of not going in would be much worse.

Inhaling deeply and steeling his nerves, Zim opened the door and marched in. "Zim has come at your request with food!"

"Set it on the table," Red instructed. Zim couldn't help but lift an antenna at the tone. Red almost sounded like he was biting back anger. But what could he possibly be angry about?

Zim squeaked in terror, his antennae lying flat against his skull. Had he taken too long in coming? Would they punish him?

"Hurry up Zim!" Purple snapped impatiently, eyes glued to the plate of snacks. "I'm hungry!"

"S-Sorry!" Zim hurriedly ran up to his Tallest before stopping in his tracks, staring at the table. "Um, sirs?"

"Yes Zim?" Red stated, his tone still somewhat irritated.

"Why is the table to the side instead of between you? In fact, why are your chairs pushed together?"

"Set the food on the table, Zim," Red demanded, glaring at the defect. Zim gulped and did so, turning to leave. It was obvious his Tallest were in a bad mood. Perhaps it would be wise to leave them alone.

"We didn't say you could leave."

Zim froze in his tracks, slowly turning to face Red. The taller Irken was grinning now, a similar grin to the one he had given Zim last night…

The smaller Irken fought back a shiver. "D-Do you need anything else, sirs?"

"Come here, Zim," Purple purred, a smirk following his words. Zim bit his lip and stepped back slightly, averting his gaze. His squeedilyspooch was twisting violently in his belly now, his cheeks starting to burn. He didn't like how his Tallest were looking at him. It was too much like last night…

"We gave you a direct order, ZIM," Red growled, making the small Irken cringe. "Unless you wish to be punished, you will OBEY it."

Zim whimpered, slowly approaching his leaders. Once he was in front of them he froze, waiting for further instructions.

"Good Zim," Red cooed, patting the space between himself and Purple. "Now sit down. You look EXHAUSTED."

"B-But the chairs are exclusively for the Tallest, sir! Only Tallest are allowed to sit in them-"

"Sit down, ZIM."

Zim practically leapt into the space between his Tallest, unable to contain his nervous purr. The taller Irkens were staring at him, both sharing smirks.

"Was that so hard?" Purple asked, snaking an arm around the defect's shoulder. Zim shuddered and shook his head, his purr increasing. Purple was breaking taboos again! Why wasn't Red doing anything!

"Good," the Irken in question murmured, wrapping an arm around Zim's waist. Zim paled, his eyes growing wide. They were BOTH breaking taboos! They really had gone insane! Trembling in horror, Zim looked over at Red just in time to see the taller Irken scowl. Maybe he was realizing what he was doing was wrong?

"You're thinner than I thought."

"He is?" Purple asked, mouth full of something. Zim gulped and looked down, clamping his eyes shut and trying to think of anything but the current situation.

"Yes. He is."

A sharp gasp escaped Zim's lips as the hand on his waist started tracing his ribs through the fabric of his uniform, bringing a chill to the defect's spine. "Zim, when was the last time you ate?"

"And don't lie to us, Zim! We'll throw you out of the air lock if you lie to us!"

"Again with the air locks, Pur?"

"What? It's fun watching them float around in space, struggling to breath! Now answer Red's question Zim!"

"Z-Zim is fine! Really! Zim doesn't need to eat to survive since he has his pak! Eating is a pleasure, not a necessity!"

"How long, ZIM?" Red's grip tightened, putting pressure on Zim's ribs and making the small Irken whine in discomfort. "Despite being able to survive drastically long periods of time without food, you can still starve. Now tell us. How long has it been since you had a decent meal?"

"S-Six years!" Zim yelped, biting his lip. The two Tallest remained silent, the grip on Zim's ribs lessening. "Z-Zim's perfectly fine. R-Really-"

"But you can cook?"

"Zim just started cooking this month, sir," Zim explained, wringing his hands together. "And Zim doesn't get much time to eat or sleep since the Dib could attack at any minute."

Silence. Slowly Red continued, tone dangerously neutral. "Weren't you freaking out about some kind of food when you called though? I believe it was 'waffles'?"

"And Chinese food," Purple added, mouth still full of food. Zim's squeedilyspooch grumbled, the smaller Irken tensing and curling up slightly.

"Eating is a pleasure. Zim can't afford to waste time with pleasures when-"

"Quit speaking like you still have a mission, Zim," Red interrupted, his grip tightening slightly. "Your only mission is to be our servant. And our servants do NOT starve themselves or deprive themselves of sleep. Understand?"

Zim nodded, keeping his gaze averted. The hand on his ribs was lowered to his waist again, one of its slender fingers tracing circles on his side. "Purple, give Zim the plate of waffles."

The defect cringed, antennae lowering as much as they could. "B-But those are your snacks, sir!"

"Shut up and eat the waffles, Zim!" Purple hissed, placing the plate in Zim's lap. The smaller gulped and hurriedly took one of the pastries in his hands, taking a small bite. He'd only eat one. These were for his Tallest, not him. He'd only eat one…

To his horror though once the first waffle was gone he grabbed another, eating this one faster than he had the other. And in seconds the entire plate was empty, the only proof that there had once been waffles on it being small crumbs floating in the syrup. Zim gulped and hurriedly shoved the plate away, wincing as it shattered on the floor. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to eat your snacks! Honest-"

Something sweet was shoved into his mouth, effectively silencing him. "Here. Your doughnuts are wonderful," Purple purred. He gently took Zim's wrists, frowning slightly before prying them off. "These things are falling apart. There's HOLES in the fingertips!"

"We need to get him a new uniform anyway," Red replied, his hand still stroking Zim's side. "He's not an Invader, so he needs a uniform more suited to his work. Oh, set the tray of food in Zim's lap. I want some food before you devour it all!"

"There's still plenty left!" Purple complained, nevertheless doing as Red said. Zim stared at the food before timidly grabbing a cupcake, glancing briefly at each Tallest before digging in.

"Thank you, Pur." Red grabbed a doughnut and sank his teeth into it, a pleased purr forming in the back of his throat. "Eat as much as you want, Zim. You made it."

"Th-Thank you," Zim mumbled, allowing himself to relax a bit. Actually, this wasn't so bad. True it felt weird sitting with his Tallest and sharing snacks, but at least they weren't really doing anything, right?

Something was placed in his antennae and the small defect shuddered, choking on the doughnut he'd just bitten into.

"Purple, what on Irk are you doing?"

"Dressing him up."

"With DOUGHNUTS?"

"Hey, doughnuts are great! And they make everything better!"

"You're getting powdered sugar all over his antennae." Suddenly Red grinned, bending down and running his tongue along Zim's other antenna. The small Irken trembled and pulled back slightly, purring in discomfort.

Purple chuckled, taking his doughnuts off Zim's antenna before repeating Red's actions to it. Zim whined and squirmed, his purr morphing into one of pleasure despite himself.

Zim wasn't the only one to notice the change. Red purred smugly, teasingly lapping at the poor antenna with the tip of his tongue. "You like this don't you?"

Zim shivered, unable to stop himself from nodding. Even though his pak was screaming that this was wrong, that it was a forbidden taboo, he didn't want his Tallest to stop. The realization was both exciting and terrifying, like his first Voot Cruiser drive or his first training session, and he wanted more, he wanted them to continue and possibly go farther-

There was a knock on the door and both Tallest pulled away, Purple returning the snacks to the table as Red pushed Zim off the chairs and onto the floor. "Enter!"

A worker peeked his head in, antennae lowered in submission. "Is everything alright sirs?"

"Yes. Everything is just fine. Zim was just returning to the kitchen to make us some more food. Right ZIM?"

Zim hurriedly picked himself up and nodded, running out of the room and past the group of confused workers huddled outside the door. Only once he was back in the kitchen did the defect allow himself to collapse against the door, his mind racing in confusion as his now wet antennae quivered against his head.


End file.
